4 Reasons Nuts Are So Expensive
Nuts are an excellent source of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. They also contain a lot of calories, making them a perfect snack food.
You’ve probably noticed nuts are very expensive. Regular nuts come at premium prices, unlike peanuts which are easier to grow and are not really nuts. They can be grown domestically.
This is what we are trying to figure out today.
4 reasons nuts are so expensive
You’ve seen that nuts tend to have a higher price than other foods, and this is due to a combination of factors.
Hopefully we’ll be able to show you in this article how much they cost, because there are so many factors that affect it.
Each buyer feels that the effects are powerful, because no one factor is stronger than the other.
1. Nuts need a particular climate
The first reason why nuts are more expensive than most other products is their climatic requirements.
You can’t grow nuts anywhere. They need a specific climate because of the factors that matter: temperature, humidity, and sunshine.
They must be harvested during certain seasons or else they will spoil quickly. This means that if you want to buy almonds for example, you should do your research before buying them. You may find yourself paying more money just because you didn’t know about the season when the harvest was done.
Nuts grow best in this climate, but they don’t like very cold areas, so they grow best when the temperature is cooler.
Zone 9 is a small strip of land, with a thin band around the world, and most people plant there.
Farmers have to choose between nut trees and other crops when choosing what to plant because there is not enough land available.
Mild winter areas are a prime state
Plants and nuts love Zone 9, as well as humans. The area has great real estate due to the great summers and mild winters, and a good portion of farmers sold their lands.
It turned out to be much more profitable to turn those lands from orchards and plantations to suburban areas.
The price of land goes up if you can grow a crop that will make less money than building a house, or if you can build a house that will make more money.
2. Low yield, compared to other crops
One important point when discussing nuts is that nut trees aren’t like other fruit-bearing trees.
Nut trees do not make all of the nuts that can be used.
Some nuts, including the almond, only have a small amount of kernels in them. Almonds are low in number at as low as 32%.
The yield of nut trees is much less than the yield of apples. This will increase the price.
3. There’s an industry around pollinating nut trees in America
Nut trees rely on insects to pollinate, which is why they are not self pollinating. The main star is the honey bee, but there aren’t as many bees as in other places.
The final propagation of nut trees is slow in the wild.
Beekeepers are hired by farmers to bring their bees to the nut tree crops. Beekeepers transport their bees around the country in a service that costs a lot.
If you’re not from America, you should know that the majority of imported nuts are from there.
Bee numbers are declining so pollination becomes more expensive
The bee numbers are on the decline all over the planet. There is a thing happening that no one can explain.
More and more bees are going missing because they are leaving the colony behind.
The queen and some nurses remain within the colony, but the rest of the bees are gone.
No dead bees are found around the colonies, so it’s like they are gone.
Colony Collapse Disorder is a phenomenon. It’s been looked into over the past century, but no clear reasons have been given.
Bee keepers are losing bees in greater numbers due to a variety of reasons.
The final nut price goes up because they’re reluctant to rent out their bees for pollination, which drives the pollination service price up.
4. Nuts are now considered healthy food
In recent years, nuts have become popular among health conscious consumers. They contain high amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omega fatty acids, and phytochemicals.
In the 20th century, nuts were thought to be harmful and not good for our health. They have a negative impact on a person’s health due to their high levels of natural fat and oil.
That’s true. Excess nut intake is what leads to weight gain.
Research shows that the fats in nuts are beneficial, especially the omega 3 found in walnuts and arginine that helps alleviate blood pressure.
Nuts have been replaced by healthy snack nuts. The price goes up since healthy food is in higher demand.
Until a way to increase the yield per crop is found, the price may stay the same.
Why are some nuts more expensive than rest ?
All that is said, isn’t all the same. All nuts are expensive, but some are more expensive.
The Brazil nut is an example. The Brazil nut tree is found in pristine forests of South America that have not been disturbed by humans, and still have a few companion trees that can pollinate the tree.
The harvest from Brazil nut farms is very low, and some specific types are necessary for pollination.
This fruit is 14 months old, which is very long for a fruit of this size.
The price of a pound of Brazil nuts is related to the fact that this is a special nut that can only grow in special conditions.
Almonds seem to be the most affordable nuts on the market, on the other end of the spectrum. That is a lot different than other nuts.
If you compare the price of 100 gr of almonds with the price of pine nuts, you’ll see that they are more expensive. It has to do with how hard it is to grow nut trees, and in some cases it can be difficult to harvest the nuts.
The pine nuts are manually pulled from the pine cones.
On the other side, cashews are poisonous, and you will get a severe allergic reaction if you touch them. The price will increase because they come both roasted and shelled.
Nuts are expensive because they’re harder to grow and harvest. It’s definitely worth the effort.
